Site Stuff: Our Stance on Generative “AI”

Art from https://www.deviantart.com/emperorkarsa/art/No-AI-957090039

Friends, more and more often, I’m finding games that use generative “artificial intelligence,” or as I like to call them, “plagiarism engines.” Recently, Steam added an area where devs can add an “AI” disclaimer like this:

Which, for me, has been great, as I hate this “AI” nonsense. I see it primarily as stealing other people’s genuine art and creations. This has helped me decide which games not to buy, as I never want to support the plagiarism that “AI” promotes.

However, this has become a bigger problem for games I hope to cover for the channel, as more and more often, I’m running into space games that use generated assets for their art, voicework, or whatever else. Therefore, I feel it’s time I make my stance on generative “AI” clear.

First, if a game uses “AI” as a placeholder, say while it’s in early access, this is fine, as long as it’s been made clear that the assets are indeed a placeholder and intended to be replaced upon reaching 1.0.

Secondly, and this is the important one, I will not cover any game that uses any generated asset, be it art, voice, music, or whatever else.

So, if your game uses generative “AI” for anything, be it art, voices or whatever else, it will never be covered here at Space Game Junkie. Ever.

This current crop of generative “AI” is a cancer, and I hope it dies out sooner rather than later. I’m sure there are some very niche, specific use cases for “AI,” but I feel that building a game isn’t one of them.

Thank you for your time and patronage, and have a great day.

Author: Brian Rubin